Google came up with the idea of an online library in 2004, now known as Google Books. While Google still intends to scan as many books as possible, the accessibility of the texts is not completely public. Google has gotten itself caught up in a copyright infringement dilemma, but the texts are still searchable.
Google came up with the idea of an online library in 2004, now known as Google Books. While Google still intends to scan as many books as possible, the accessibility of the texts is not completely public. Google has gotten itself caught up in a copyright infringement dilemma, but the texts are still searchable.
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Google came up with the idea of an online library in 2004, now known as Google Books. While Google still intends to scan as many books as possible, the accessibility of the texts is not completely public. Google has gotten itself caught up in a copyright infringement dilemma, but the texts are still searchable.
Copyright:
Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
Available Formats
Download as DOC, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
October 18, 2009 Take Home Quiz #2 Universal Library Cards are Now Available Online…Kind Of Libraries, in my opinion, are commonly regarded as massive old buildings filled with an overwhelming amount of stuffy books, complex articles, and diverse magazines to name a few. I will admit that these public institutions have improved technologically, with high tech computers featuring the latest software and well-informed staff ready to help with research or technical issues. Yet they still seem to offer a lot more hassle then they do help. Being that books are physical objects, they are prone to being lost, destroyed, or accidently filed in the wrong section in this labyrinth of books. We may be able to find the book in a bookstore, if it is still being sold, but this costs a lot more money then simply renting a book. Most importantly, our current generation is much more likely to sit at home on their computers to conduct the majority of their research rather than actually physically leave their home. People do not want to be bothered with the trouble of renting a book or dealing with library cards, libraries, or even keeping their voices to a low whisper. This day and age has become the era of do it yourself, finding ways to use accomplish things without having other people stand in our way. In short, Wikipedia browsing would seem the wiser choice than a big stuffy building full of books we would have to actually read. That’s where Google steps in. The well-known search engine came up with the idea of an online Library in 2004, now known as Google Books. This section of Google, alongside other links such as “finance”, “blogs” and “groups” is full of an innumerable amount of scanned texts available to the public. The original idea was to “scan every book ever published, and to make the full texts searchable, in the same way that Web sites can be searched on the company’s engine at google.com” explained Jeffrey Toobin, a columnist for The New Yorker and a senior analyst for CNN (Toobin, 2007). While Google still intends to scan as many books as possible the accessibility of the texts, where Google has gotten itself caught up in a copyright infringement dilemma, is not completely public. One can search the website by simply typing in certain keywords, authors or direct quotes, yet many of the books are accessible loaded in limited preview, leaving certain chapters and pages unavailable. The purpose of this is to allow more awareness of each book published every year, given that there are at least seventy- five thousand new books published each year. Using the internet as a tool to searching for exactly what the customer needs or wants allows for a greater opportunity for the authors and publishers to market their work as well as giving the customer for options and better sources. Also, the books are surrounded by advertisements for places where the books can be purchased, whether on a website like Amazon or at a bookstore. Unfortunately, however, everything isn’t all fine and dandy. Many are arguing about whether the search engine should charge the public to access the books in the first place. As of right now, although many are with limited access, the books are free to anyone and everyone. To our relief, the companies that are suing Google seem to have an understanding and a common goal for the project and hope to come to a settlement, not just drop the whole idea for good. As stated by Sergey Brin, the co-founder and technology president of Google, “This agreement aims to make millions of out-of-print but in-copyright books available either for a fee or for free with ad support, with the majority of the revenue flowing back to the rights holders, be they authors or publishers” (Brin, 2009). Even James Grimmelmann, an Associate Professor at New York Law School and a member of its Institute for Information Law and Policy lists the many positives of the project, concluding that with a few tweaks in the proposal it will have “serious benefits, and the settlement is a universal win compared with the status quo” (2009, Grimmelmann).
As for the future of existing libraries and academic scholarship function at
universities such as Loyola University, it will change drastically for the better. With textbooks being available online, students will be able to either purchase the books at a online much lower price than they do now or download them for free. Teachers will be able to update their books each year, avoiding students ordering wrong volumes, shipment backordering or teaching outdated information. Additionally, the library itself could be used for other purposes, whether it be filled with more graphic design computers or art gallery space. It won’t need to hold as many academic journals and reference books because they will all be digitalized. Students will find it easier to study and research topics by being able to use keywords, quotes, or subjects to find the exact information they need. Having these books online will also be incredibly useful if there were to be a flood or hurricane, especially in New Orleans, allowing for blackboard classes to continue without confusion or issues do to lost books or reference tools. Altogether, the benefits of Google Book Search as well as other companies that will follow are endless. The Internet has an unlimited amount of space that will open up a world of literature that was not as widely and easily accessible as before. Works Cited Brin, Sergey. (2009, October 9). A library to last forever. Editorials (1). Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/09/opinion/09brin.html ?partner=rss&emc=rss Grimmelmann, James. (2009, April). How to fix the Google book search settlement.Journal of Internet Law, 12 (10), 12. Retrieved from http://works.bepress.com/cgi/viewcontent.cgi? article=1022&context=james_grimmelmann Toobin, Jeffrey. (2007, February 5). Google’s moon shot. Annals of Law, (1). Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/ 02/05/070205fa_ fact_toobin